How Stephan El Shaarawy Can Prove He's an Ace in the Pack for AC Milan Once More

Another season of misery is coming to an end for Stephan El Shaarawy. He has only played in 15 Serie A matches. But he may get a chance to finish out the year on the pitch.

El Shaarawy rejoined his AC Milan team-mates in training in mid-May. He did so with the smile. It means a lot to him just to be a part of the group once more. The simple joy of playing: that's what he has missed the most.

But fans can only remain patient for so long. Ever since that breakout season in 2012-2013—during which he scored 16 goals and eased Milan into life without key veterans like Alessandro Nesta and Gennaro Gattuso—the expectations have not moved. He was supposed to be the guiding light through a dark period for the club; instead, he has disappeared into the surrounding darkness.

The easy thing to say about El Shaarawy is this: stay fit. Ask Alexandre Pato the same thing, and he will say it's not so easy. Not at Milan, where the medical staff has come under fire before. El Shaarawy has spent many months out over the past couple of years with injuries to both of his feet. That's unlucky. It's also a big concern. 

Maybe it has something to do with the way he plays, the quick change in speed, the pivot from left to right. Sometimes he can look like a young Arjen Robben out there, dictating the pace and switching gears in an instant. It's the kind of play that encourages a clash of some kind. It's also his biggest strength.

He also has to be careful with his recovery. The temptation to play at the weekend against Sassuolo is undoubtedly there. But what for? Why play again in a lost season? When he returned from a similar foot injury in 2013, he came back too soon. He aggravated the problem and spent the rest of the season out. 

Antonio Calanni/Associated Press

So the situation is delicate. They saw what happened to Pato, who left the team in disrepair, and they have to make sure that doesn't happen to El Shaarawy. Maybe he needs to spend a year elsewhere: Genoa always seem happy to take on Milan's players. They did the same with M'Baye Niang, giving him a place to relaunch his Serie A career. And boom: the 20-year-old suddenly has five goals and two assists in 14 appearances with the Grifoni.

El Shaarawy, too, is a former Genoa product. Genoa president Enrico Preziosi has a good relationship with Milan, and in April he expressed his desire "to have El Shaarawy back in my team," per Rossoneri Blog.

El Shaarawy may have to take a step back in order to move forward. Milan are about to enter a transition phase, with talks of a new owner only intensifying. This is not the ideal environment for someone who needs a fresh start. 

Milan have already done a poor enough job with their young players, letting them leave instead of letting them grow at home. They did right by Niang, allowing him to leave only temporarily. They didn't do right by Riccardo Saponara, who will likely stay at Empoli permanently as a result of his success (six goals, three assists) in the second half of the season. (Empoli have the right to purchase the 21-year-old outright for €4 million.)

A dry, season-long loan at a smaller club could help El Shaarawy, and perhaps Milan will be ready too when he comes back.